1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to methods for producing floor rugs of motor vehicles, and more particularly, to methods for producing vehicular floor rugs of a type having a heel mat bonded thereto. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a method for bonding, via a high frequency induction welding, a heel mat to an upper surface of a floor rug proper which has been compression-molded in compliance with the contour of a floor panel of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Usually, floor panels of motor vehicles have floor rugs put thereon for not only aesthetic reason but also noise-insulation reason. The floor rugs currently used are of a type which comprises generally a base layer of felt having a cushioning characteristic and an outer aesthetic layer put on the base layer. Some of them are of a compression-molded type. That is, the floor rug including the two layers is subjected to a compression-molding to have a three-dimensionally projected portion which is shaped in compliance with the contour of a vehicle floor panel on which the floor rug is to be set.
Some of the floor rugs of such type have a heel mat of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) bonded to an upper surface thereof. Due to provision of the heal mat, undesired partial abrasion of the floor rug by passenger's shoe heels can be protected.
Hitherto, bonding of the heel mat to the floor rug has been made by manually stretching and flattening the three-dimensionally projected portion of the floor rug, putting a substantially flat heel mat of PVC on the flattened portion of the floor rug and bonding them via a high frequency induction welding.
However, due to its inherence, the above-mentioned conventional bonding method tends to cause an unsightly deformation of the floor rug remained after the welding. That is, because of the resiliency possessed by the heel mat made of PVC, the three-dimensionally projected portion of the floor rug on which the heel mat has been bonded fails to return to its original form even after the high frequency induction welding. If, before being bonded to the floor rug, the heel mat is compression-molded in compliance with the contour of the three-dimensionally projected portion of the floor rug, such drawback may be solved. However, in this case, the labor effectiveness becomes poor due to addition of another compression-molding process.